BREAKING: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi Confirmed Dead After Helicopter Crash

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and a number of additional Iranian officials have been confirmed dead as a result of a helicopter crash in the nation’s northeast on Saturday.

A helicopter that was carrying Raisi, as well as Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and East Azerbaijan Governor Malik Rahmati, went missing on Sunday morning as it was traveling through a mountainous area that was covered in heavy fog. The delegation was returning from a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev when the aircraft went missing.

A massive search and rescue operation was immediately launched, though their progress was hindered by the fog. The search was aided with assets from neighboring Azerbaijan, as well as Russia.

Late Sunday night, a regional commander for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that they had detected the exact location of the crash after receiving a signal from the helicopter and the mobile phone of one of the crew. “Military forces are heading to the location and hope to have some good news,” the commander reportedly said, according to Iranian state media.

Upon getting a visual on the crash site, Iranian officials reported that there were “no signs of life,” adding that the helicopter appeared to be completely burned up.

A rescue helicopter attempted to reach the crash site, which has been described as a heavily wooded area roughly 12 miles from the border with Azerbaijan, though it was unable to land due to the intense fog. The site is reportedly located on the side of a steep mountain.

“It is the right of the people and the media to be aware of the latest news about the president’s helicopter accident, but considering the coordinates of the incident site and the weather conditions, there is ‘no’ new news whatsoever until now,” said Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi. “In these moments, patience, prayer and trust in relief groups are the way forward.”

Raisi’s death comes during an intense diplomatic crisis due to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. Just weeks ago, Iran launched a massive drone and missile attack on Israeli territory, marking the first time it had done so.

Under the Iranian constitution, the nation’s vice president takes over if the president dies, but only if his assent is confirmed by Supreme Leader Khamenei. If this happens, a new president will be selected through an emergency election within 50 days.

First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber had already been conducting state business in Raisi’s absence, Iranian media reported.

This is a developing story.